Rumor: GM bringing Facebook integration to OnStar

Back in the good old days, OnStar had just one purpose: a proddable button that would connect you to a live operator, who would help you in case of vehicular emergency. Now it seems like OnStar wants to help cause those accidents… by bringing Facebook status updates to your car. Hey, that’s one way to expand your core business.

In a still unconfirmed report, OnStar and GM will soon bring fairly robust Facebook integration to any General Motors vehicles. Apparently, you’ll be able to talk to your OnStar normally, but the new functionality will allow you to dictate Facebook status updates to be pumped out through your feed. For example: exclaim to yourself, “Boy, I never saw a human head roll down I-95 like that!” and it’ll immediately be squirted out for your great aunt and third-grade teacher to read.

The Facebook support doesn’t end there: OnStar will also apparently be able to read out text messages, or let you send direct messages to other people. Want to know if you’ve got any replies to any of your Facebook statuses on a long drive? OnStar will read them out to you too.

If the rumors are true, the Facebook integration should rollout to OnStar customers later this month. We understand why services like OnStar have integrated more extraneous and entertainment-oriented software features as time has gone by — it’s hard to get people to pay for something that they’ll hopefully never have a good reason to use — but the only thing that could possibly be more distracting to a driver than trying to manage his FarmVille mid-drive is a rock to the back of the head.

Speak Your Mind

hodar

On*Star lost me when the courts ruled that the unit could be remotely activated to ‘bug’ the inhabitants. Sure, they got a ‘bad guy’ but they set a precidence that makes me not want to consider their product.

So, On*Star can partner with anyone they want; I want On*Star only slightly more than I want cancer.

http://www.faceturkey.com facebook

I am a light Facebook user and maybe this is why I dont get this. All I see what is different than current FB messaging is, non FB people will be able to send email to user’s mailbox. Also I am not sure eliminating the subject line is a good idea. It is almost starting a conversation without any clue what it is going to be about.

http://www.facebook.gen.tr Facebook

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